Measuring the impact of gamification or game-based learning can seem challenging. How do we know if our learners are more engaged? How do we know if gamification motivated our team to learn more? How do we know if the game-based eLearning we created will affect productivity?

Before we can answer those questions, we need to look back at the alignment of our gamification and game-based learning strategies with our original learning objectives. If we set everything up correctly from the get-go, we should be generating data related to measurable results that we can report on.

As you’re recalling those objectives, consider measuring the impact of gamification and/or game-based learning through the lens of three core premises that drive our blended learning initiatives: transfer of knowledge, acquisition of skill, and change in behavior.

Growing up in theQuiet Corner, much of my time was spent looking for ways to self-entertain. Technology access was fairly limited in the early-to-mid 1980s, but I did have two other valuable resources: people and the woods behind our house. I’d sometimes play outside with a neighbor or friend from school, but more often than not, I’d wander off to invent my own playful activities in the trees, snow, mud, or pond across the road. Once my younger sister was old enough to understand game mechanics and rules, I shifted from solo play (e.g., matching games, flashcards,Calvinball) to collaborative and competitive play (e.g., Candy Land, Operation, Mario Kart). My dad eventually taught us chess and soccer, and my mom, who wouldn’t think of herself as a “gamer,” encouraged us to play board and card games like Trouble and cribbage as part of our family time. We regularly visited the playground, and on special occasions we would visit playful venues likeDiscovery Zone. Every season and in any weather, we played everything from tag, house, and manhunt to Donkey Kong Country, Monopoly, and Dungeons & Dragons. More than a hobby, play was a mindset instilled in me by others and something I tried my best to spread.

Play. It’s all about the power of play, and how humans naturally learn in playful states.

Play takes on many shapes, sizes, and definitions. According to Jeff Everhart, Instructional Technology Trainer and English instructor, when defining play within a learning perspective we should focus on activities that contain, possess, or exhibit some or all of the following characteristics:

• An aspect of fun or novelty• Immediate or timely feedback• Unpredictable rewards (that are not necessarily tied to objectives)

We know that bells and whistles don’t always improve training experiences. Throwing more EdTech into our learning environments without consideration for its relevance or effectiveness often has a counter-productive effect – learners focus more on the technology than on the content.

The same holds true for leveraging trending instructional design models. If we jump on every “hot new trend” bandwagon, we can easily miss the mark of constructive modern blended learning. Each approach we choose to incorporate into our blends must have a purpose – authentically addressing an individual learning objective.

I am smiling as I write this; the word ‘gamification’ immediately makes me think, “This is going to be fun!”

One example of gamification that I use every day is my FitBit. It gives me positive feedback when I reach certain levels. It physically celebrates when I meet my step goal! It vibrates and flashes and has a party right there on my wrist. When that happens I join the party! Whoop! Whoop! I did it! Hooray!